Rugby Australia has reportedly lodged a formal complaint to World Rugby over the performance of referee Mathieu Raynal during their heartbreaking Bledisloe Cup defeat to the All Blacks at Melbourne.
According to The Australian, the governing body has outlined several concerns, chief among the Frenchman's decision to punish Bernard Foley for time-wasting, which led to Jordie Barrett's matchwinning try for the All Blacks.
The Wallabies had fought back from an 18-point deficit at Marvel Stadium and seemed poised to seal a memorable victory, when Raynal made the rarely seen call, leaving their players, coach Dave Rennie and fans alike fuming.
Immediately after the game, a baffled Rennie said he intended to request a "please explain" from World Rugby.
The win locked the Bledisloe Cup away in New Zealand for a 20th straight year, denying the Australians a shot to win it back at Eden Park next Saturday.
The official grievance comes as fresh vision emerges of the incident from Australia's Channel Nine, where stand-in Wallabies captain Nic White confronts Raynal after the final whistle.
"Nic, I'm sorry, you know exactly what I wanted," Raynal told White. "I told you two times and then you still continue.
"I warned [Foley]. I said, 'if you don't play immediately, I will give a scrum'.
"That's not fair what you did, you just ran the time.
The halfback claimed Foley had already begun his kicking motion, when Raynal blew his whistle.
"I understand, but he was just about to kick it out and for two seconds.
"Mate, that just cost us the Rugby Championship."
Wallabies great Tim Horan dubs the decision "disgraceful", while fellow former Australian representative Peter FitzSimons says it went against the spirit of the game.
But there has been a groundswell of support for Raynal based on video evidence showing him giving Foley repeated warnings to execute his kick into touch.
Renowned former referee Nigel Owens is one such supporter, saying Raynal has been "fair and strong" in his ruling.
Join us on September 24 for live updates of the second All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup test
